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More copies of this ISBN:The Old Africanby Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:No one on the plantation had ever heard the Old African's voice, yet he had spoken to all of them in their minds. For the Old African had the power to see the color of a person's soul and read his thoughts as if they were words on a page. Now it was time to act — time to lead his fellow slaves to the Water-That-Stretched-Forever, and from there back to Africa. Back to their home. Based on legend and infused with magical realism, this haunting tale is beautiful in both its language and its images. Julius Lester and Jerry Pinkney have found a new, extraordinary way to express the horrors of slavery and the hope and strength that managed to overcome its grip. Review:"Based on legend, this story by frequent collaborators Lester and Pinkney moves gracefully and affectingly from darkness into light. As the tale opens, a plantation master whips a young slave who has attempted to escape. Yet the slaves witnessing this do not see the blood glistening on the boy's back; instead they see in their minds a picture of water 'as blue as freedom.' This vision is provided by the Old African, once called Jaja, a wise slave with a unique power to speak to his fellow captives in their minds and '[pull] the pain from the channels of their souls as if it were a worm in the earth.' The narrative then returns to the time of Jaja's capture from his African village and the Middle Passage (across the 'Water-That-Stretched-Forever') to be sold into slavery. Like Tom Feelings's The Middle Passage, author and artist do not spare readers the horrors that occurred. Lester describes the stripping down of captives and liberties taken with the women; in wordless spreads, Pinkney shows Jaja chained to a man who was just fatally shot. On the journey, Jaja's wife throws herself overboard and his mentor is beaten to death. Back in the present, the Old African learns that his master wants him dead, and believes 'it is time to go home.' Two stunning wordless spreads depict the triumphant, uplifting finale, in which the sage leads the captives along the ocean floor to their homeland. By not shying away from the realities of these characters' daily life, Lester and Pinkney make their victory all the greater. Ages 9-up. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"The stirring illustrations, glowing with color and swirling with action, beautifully depict the dramatic escape fantasy (which is based on legend), but they never deny the horror; they show the public whipping and the crowded ship's hold, so like the bunks in Auschwitz. The triumph over oppression is in the unforgettable words and pictures of individual people — and the connections between them." Booklist Review:"Lester and Pinkney combine their talents here to create an unusual, complex, and thought-provoking offering in which the Old African is the keeper of a power that brings comfort and, ultimately, salvation to his people." School Library Journal Review:"Lester's prose is powerful and poetic, and Pinkney outdoes himself in hauntingly expressive, often wordless double-page paintings that masterfully capture the strength and suffering of the African people." Kirkus Reviews Synopsis:Based on legend and infused with magical realism, this haunting tale expresses the horrors of slavery and the hope and strength that managed to overcome its grip. Illustrations. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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